The Commission’s 10-point plan as well as the Council’s proactive role and commitment towards a collective approach in its determination to work with other institutions was welcomed by Malta as this reflects the conviction that by working together, general needs and challenges can be better addressed.
This was one of the main messages coming out of the General Affairs Council’s discussion on the critical situation in the Mediterranean, held in Luxembourg on the 21st April. Parliamentary Secretary for the EU Presidency 2017 and EU Funds, Ian Borg led the Maltese delegation.
In his address, Dr Borg said that the political willingness and the urgency shown in the past days was indeed very encouraging but it was now time to translate the talk into concrete actions that can make the much needed difference not just to countries such as Italy and Malta but crucially to the lives of the people who leave their shores in search of a better life but end in tragic circumstances.
Dr Borg thanked the presidency as well as the European External Action Service (EEAS) for the exigency shown in the past hours. Ian Borg remarked all this was very positive particularly also in light of the forthcoming extraordinary summit of the Heads of State and Government that meets on Thursday, but it was now time for tangible action.
Malta, in fact, welcomes the commission’s 10-point plan in response to the rapidly deteriorating situation. In a strong appeal, Parliamentary Secretary Borg said that such a commitment now needed to be backed up by concrete action that can see a step-up in our fight against human trafficking and smugglers.
Mediterranean should be a space of opportunity and not tragedy, as history would be judging us negatively if no action is taken up, Dr. Borg said in his concluding remarks.
Apart from the finalization for the upcoming special meeting for Heads of State & Government, Ministers also continued discussions on the new Inter-Institutional Agreement on Better Law Making that can reflect better regulations.